RAPID Growth Project - Caraga

06/08/2026

Every great cup starts with learning. ☕

Here’s a glimpse of the Barista Training currently happening at Fabella Coffee Shop, Surigao del Sur. ☕✨

03/08/2026

DTI Caraga-RAPID Growth Project Strengthens Farmers' Climate Resilience

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Caraga, through its Rural Agro-Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development (RAPID) Growth Project, conducted a three-day Climate-Smart Agriculture Training for RAPID-assisted farmer organizations on July 29–31, 2026 at Go Hotels Butuan, Butuan City.

The training aimed to strengthen farmers’ capacity in adopting climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices to improve productivity, sustainability, and climate resilience of farming systems.

Over the three-day activity, participants engaged in discussions on CSA concepts and climate risks, followed by field visits and farm assessments in selected host farmer organizations in Butuan City and Agusan del Norte, namely ARDA Integrated Farm, Guias Integrated Farm, and Casiklan Wheels Farmers Association Inc. (CAWFAI). The participants later presented their findings and insights and developed action plans to guide the application of CSA practices in their respective farms and organizations.

A total of 31 farmer organizations (FOs) engaged in coffee, cacao, calamansi, coconut, and banana production from Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur participated in the training. Of these, 9 FOs were from Agusan del Norte, 11 from Agusan del Sur, and 11 from Surigao del Sur.

The activity was facilitated by Engr. Matt Andrew Baquiano, Senior Agriculturist and OIC-Assistant Center Director of the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center XIII (ATI-RTC XIII), together with Mr. Matt Janfour Cabahug, Development Management Officer I of the same office.

DTI Caraga, through the RAPID Growth Project, expressed its appreciation to the participating farmer organizations, host farmer organizations, and resource persons for their active engagement and valuable contributions to the successful conduct of the training.

The initiative forms part of DTI Caraga’s continuing efforts under the RAPID Growth Project to strengthen farmer organizations and promoting sustainable and climate-smart agricultural enterprises in the Caraga Region.

DTI RAPID Growth Project DTI Caraga

03/08/2026

HAPPENING NOW

The Department of Trade and Industry Caraga, through the RAPID Growth Project, launches the Barista Training Program in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) – Surigao del Sur and Fabella Coffee.

The training runs from August 3 to 7, 2026, and aims to enhance the participants’ knowledge and skills in coffee preparation and barista operations.

DTI RAPID Growth Project DTI Caraga

30/07/2026

HAPPENING NOW

Day 2 of the Climate-Smart Agriculture Training for RAPID-Assisted Farmer Organizations features farm visits and assessments at ARDA, GUIAS, and CAWFAI. Participants from RAPID-assisted farmer organizations engaged in hands-on climate-smart agriculture assessment and learning through actual farm visits.

Following the field activity, participants returned to the Balangay Function Room of Go Hotels Butuan to present and discuss their farm assessment outputs, sharing their observations and insights on climate-smart agricultural practices.

DTI RAPID Growth Project DTI Caraga

29/07/2026

HAPPENING NOW

Day 1 of the Climate-Smart Agriculture Training for RAPID-Assisted Farmer Organizations is being held at the Balangay Function Room, Go Hotels, Butuan.

The training runs from July 29-31, 2026, which aims to strengthen the capacity of RAPID Growth-assisted Farmer Organizations in adopting climate-smart agriculture practices that promote sustainable and climate-resilient farming.

DTI RAPID Growth Project DTI Caraga

10/07/2026

DTI Caraga Holds RAPID Growth Project 2nd Quarter Assessment and Coordination Meeting

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Caraga, through its Rural Agro-enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth) Project, successfully conducted its 2nd Quarter Assessment and Coordination Meeting on July 6–8, 2026, at Viels Resort in Surigao del Sur.

The three-day activity brought together personnel from the Regional Coordinating Unit (RCU) and the Provincial Coordinating Units (PCUs) of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur to assess the project’s overall implementation during the second quarter and align strategies for the succeeding implementation period.

Key discussions focused on the RAPID Growth Project Catch-up Plan, progress and financial reports, status of ongoing interventions, implementation concerns, and priority actions to ensure the timely delivery of project targets.

Representing DTI Caraga, Assistant Regional Director Brenda B. Corvera, CESO IV, attended the activity alongside DTI Agusan del Sur Provincial Director Marson Jan S. Dolendo and DTI Surigao del Sur Provincial Director Romel M. Oribe.

Through continuous coordination and performance monitoring, DTI Caraga continues to support sustainable agro-enterprise development and better livelihood opportunities for farmer organizations and other stakeholders in the region.

DTI Caraga

11/06/2026

11/06/2026

07/06/2026

𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝑨𝒈𝑺𝒖𝒓 𝑪𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒖𝒕 𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the RAPID Growth PCU - Agusan del Sur, continues to strengthen coconut farming communities by investing in both capacity development and farm rehabilitation support interventions under the approved Caraga Coconut Cluster Detailed Investment Plan (DIP).

Recognizing that sustainable farm productivity begins with knowledgeable and skilled farmers, the RAPID Growth Project prioritized a series of comprehensive capacity-building and development activities for coconut farmers, farmer leaders, and service crews before the provision of farm equipment and tools.

As a key intervention under the Caraga Coconut Cluster, coconut farmer organizations participated in various training programs designed to improve farm management practices, strengthen organizational capacity, and enhance field operations. In November 2025, representatives from participating farmer organizations joined the 𝑨𝒈𝒓𝒊-𝑩𝑬𝑺𝑻 𝑰𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑶𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, which exposed them to effective cooperative management, enterprise development, and sustainable agricultural practices. This was followed by the 𝑪𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑩𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑨𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 (𝑮𝑨𝑷) 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑭𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝑶𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑪𝒐𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒖𝒕 𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔 in March 2026, which equipped service crews and farmer leaders with practical skills in coconut farm maintenance, fertilization, pest and disease management, rehabilitation techniques, and efficient field operations.

These capacity development initiatives were designed to create a pool of trained service crews capable of supporting coconut farmers in implementing proper rehabilitation and maintenance practices across their farms. More importantly, the trainings fostered a deeper understanding of productivity-enhancing technologies and strengthened the organizations' ability to deliver collective services to their members.

To reinforce the application of the knowledge and skills gained through these trainings, the RAPID Growth Project facilitated the 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑻𝒐𝒐𝒍𝒔 (𝑪𝑺𝑻𝒔) on 𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒆 𝟏–𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, benefiting three RAPID-assisted Coconut Farmers Organizations in Agusan del Sur: the 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 (𝐖𝐂𝐅𝐀𝐂) in Rosario, the 𝐁𝐚𝐲𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 (𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐎𝐅𝐀𝐂), and the 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 (𝐂𝐃𝐂𝐅𝐀𝐂) in Bayugan City.

The common service tools, consisting of brush cutters, power sprayers, and soil augers, serve as vital rehabilitation support equipment that enable trained service crews to effectively carry out farm cleaning, fertilization, rehabilitation activities, pest management, and other essential field operations. Through these tools, farmer organizations are better positioned to provide organized farm services to their members while promoting the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices throughout their respective communities.

The intervention demonstrate the Provincial Coordination Unit's commitment to ensuring that investments in training are translated into actual improvements at the farm level. By combining capacity development with appropriate farm technologies, the project empowers coconut farmers to apply improved production practices, increase labor efficiency, and accelerate rehabilitation efforts in aging and underproductive coconut farms.

More than simply providing equipment, the initiative reflects a strategic approach to agricultural development one that places farmers and their organizations at the center of sustainable growth. Equipped with enhanced knowledge, strengthened service crews, and appropriate farm tools, the beneficiary organizations are now better prepared to support coconut farmers in improving farm productivity, rehabilitating existing plantations, and building more resilient and competitive coconut-based livelihoods.

Through the continued implementation of the Caraga Coconut Cluster Detailed Investment Plan, the DTI RAPID Growth Project and the Provincial Coordination Unit of Agusan del Sur remain steadfast in their commitment to empowering coconut farmers, strengthening farmer organizations, and creating long-term opportunities for growth and prosperity within the province's coconut industry.

𝑩𝒚: 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙 𝑴𝒂𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆
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25/05/2026